Kansas came back from a nine-point deficit in the second half to beat Tennessee in overtime, and the Jayhawks can now make their case after Gonzaga beat Duke earlier this week.

Kansas has wins over Tennessee, Michigan State and Marquette -- and perhaps the most impressive thing about the Jayhawks is they have done it in different ways. Quentin Grimes was terrific against the Spartans in the season opener but has struggled since. Lagerald Vick scored two points in the opener but has been on fire from 3-point range lately. Bill Self has a deep and versatile team.

Will it be enough for No. 1? Or is Gonzaga's win in Maui over Duke the difference?

Thursday Update: UNC's Turn To Drop

Two days, two Tobacco Road losses.

This time, it was North Carolina's turn, as the Tar Heels fell to Texas out in Las Vegas on Thursday.

And it's only November, but North Carolina is suddenly entering a critical stretch of its season.

The Tar Heels tumbled eight spots in the rankings after losing to the Longhorns and are going to have to turn things around quickly. They face Michigan, Gonzaga and Kentucky within the next month. Their on-ball defense will need to improve to remain in the rankings, as they made it far too easy for Texas to score points on Thursday.

Wednesday Update: Gonzaga Earns The No. 1 Spot

We're starting to feel a little bad for Kansas.

The Jayhawks were No. 1 entering the season in the Power Rankings -- then got jumped when Duke dominated Kentucky in the opener, despite Kansas looking impressive against Michigan State. And now, with the Blue Devils losing on Wednesday night, it's time for a new No. 1.

But it's not going to be Kansas.

We're going with the team that beat Duke: Gonzaga.

The Bulldogs had their highest-ever preseason ranking this season and are living up to it so far. They actually looked inconsistent through their first two games at the Maui Invitational, but they punched Duke in the mouth early on Wednesday and never looked back en route to a 16-point second-half lead. The way the Zags hung on late in the game was also impressive, coming up with multiple stops in the final minute to finish off the two-point win.

No one will be able to accuse Gonzaga of playing a soft schedule this season; the Bulldogs are scheduled to play two more top-10 teams in the next month: vs. Tennessee in Phoenix and at North Carolina. Will they still be No. 1 by then?

Quentin Grimes struggled again, Udoka Azubuike fouled out after just 17 minutes and Marcus Garrett was out -- but Kansas still knocked off a top-10 team in Tennessee. Dedric Lawson was terrific, but it was a really impressive performance from the Jayhawks' bench and supporting cast.

We finally saw some weaknesses pop up for the Blue Devils on Wednesday. Duke didn't shoot well from beyond the arc; Cam Reddish floated in and out of the game; and the offense became far too stagnant late in games.

Everyone knew about Caleb and Cody Martin, and Jordan Caroline heading into the season, but Tre'Shawn Thurman came up big Friday. He finished with 22 points and eight rebounds, and was key when the Minutemen kept it competitive in the first half.

Virginia's game against Wisconsin pitted perhaps the two most methodical teams in the country -- and the Cavaliers just do it better. They held the Badgers to 46 points, and De'Andre Hunter continued his outstanding start to the season with 20 points and nine rebounds.

Considering Auburn had its worst shooting performance of the season and gave up 1.10 points per possession defensively, losing to Duke by only six points isn't the end of the world. Avoiding a 1-2 stretch in Maui was key.

Ignas Brazdeikis has been one of the best freshmen nationally who hasn't received enough attention. He scored another 20 points on Friday, grabbing seven rebounds as well. He's a difficult matchup given his size, strength and ability to score at multiple levels, and he has begun to earn some NBA buzz.

Tennessee had Kansas on the ropes late in Friday's NIT final, but Grant Williams fouled out near the end of regulation -- and the Volunteers simply couldn't respond on the offensive end. "Think about it, we're one rebound from winning the game in regulation, and we couldn't come up with it," coach Rick Barnes said afterward.

The Hokies erased a first-half deficit to knock off Purdue and win the Charleston Classic. Buzz Williams' group now has plenty of momentum -- and might be favored in every single game until it heads to Virginia on Jan. 15 to face the Cavaliers.

Michigan State won the Las Vegas Invitational in impressive fashion, coming back from a 19-point first-half deficit to beat Texas on Friday. Josh Langford (29 points) and Cassius Winston (20 points, 10 assists) stated their case as the Big Ten's best backcourt in the win.

After Friday's game, John Calipari summed up his thoughts: "We're not a very good team right now." The Wildcats have won five in a row, but they haven't been overwhelming in any of the five. There just hasn't been much game-to-game consistency from anyone, although Keldon Johnson stepped up with 27 points against Tennessee State.

Kansas State won the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands by knocking off Missouri in the title game. Dean Wade finally broke out from the perimeter, burying four 3-pointers -- after not making one through the Wildcats' first four games.

Florida State can really make a statement Sunday against Villanova in the title game of the Advocare Invitational, and the Seminoles should be favored. They knocked off LSU on Friday on a Mfiondu Kabengele 3-pointer in the final seconds, and did a good job of limiting Tremont Waters.

It was a really strong bounceback performance from the Tar Heels after getting beaten by Texas on Thursday. Coby White (19 points) continued his stellar start to the season, and Nassir Little (14 points) looked more aggressive off the bench. UNC's defense still struggled, though, especially in the first half.

Despite the loss of several key pieces from a season ago -- including guards Keenan Evans and Zhaire Smith -- Chris Beard has the Red Raiders out to a hot start. They pounded both USC and Nebraska in Kansas City, and Jarrett Culver (18.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.0 APG) is having a breakout season thus far.

To be honest, if Iowa played Oregon on a neutral court again tomorrow, we might take Oregon -- but the Hawkeyes already took care of business earlier this month and then crushed UConn a day later. Tyler Cook and Luka Garza are matchup nightmares in the frontcourt, and Iowa is guarding much better than a season ago.